Hey guys,

Have received this email below. Could you have a read & let me know if anyone would be interested?

My name is Ruben Roxburgh, I am the NSW Education Coordinator and Surfing Events Water Safety Coordinator for the Australian Lifeguard Service. I have recently been speaking with a number of Boardrider Clubs in Northern NSW about Trauma and Shark Attack education sessions and am reaching out to offer some training and education sessions to all clubs due to the interest that I have been receiving for this.

With the increase in shark incidents over the winter months from Port Macquarie to the Gold Coast, and the whale migration now headed back south there has been a heightened awareness and number of encounters. This has led to identifying the need within the surfing communities in NSW to have the ability to access the correct and appropriate methods for bleeding control and first response to shark attacks specifically.

As an ex-professional surfer and ocean lifeguard, I have based my life around the ocean and I have been fortunate enough to pass my knowledge and experience onto both surfers and lifeguards in Australia and Internationally. As surfers, the ocean brings so much joy and freedom to all of our lives, but in recent months it has also brought a lot more focus as to when and where we surf, and the possibility of encountering a shark. I’m reaching out to offer this opportunity to your Boardriders Club, and wider surfing communities, to ensure you the opportunity to increase the ability to feel confident and prepared in the event of an emergency.

I have packaged together a 2hr educational Q&A style session based specifically around shark attacks and surfers, so as to ensure that from dawn to dusk you and your surfing community has the ability to take action and support one another. These sessions suit all ages and abilities of surfers and can be contextualised to suit the needs of your club locally. I have been fortunate enough to personally pass this training onto a diverse range of participants, surfers new to the sport right through to professional and tow surfers. Although this conversation is based on shark incidents, this type of education and first aid application can be used for a number of other surf related events; fin chop, PWC/Tow Surfing Accident, international boat trips and reef injuries (when we can travel again) and for use at those remote uncrowded destinations we all like to find along the coastline.

The sessions are open to up to 20 people to attend and costs $350 + gst.

I have also packaged together a bleeding control kit should any members of clubs wish to look at following the sessions. These would be at a cost - $76.95 – gst inclusive
Included in this kit is:
1x SOFTT-W Tactical Tourniquet- Wide Rescue Orange
1x OLAES Modular Trauma Dressing 6 Inch
1x Emergency Thermal Blanket 140cm X 210cm
1x Aeroglove Large Nitrile Gloves Powder Free pkt/2
1x Universal Shears Plastic Tip 15cm S/S

I’m contacting you to offer this to your club and your surfing community to encourage surf safety for each other, some clubs to date have combined for attendance and spread of the information (others have had enough interest to take up personal sessions). You may wish to speak to other clubs in your area to get a good attendance or interest in these sessions.

Boardrider Clubs from Pacific Palms to Tweed Heads will have access to these sessions and I’ll happily arrange an evening session in your area and the opportunity for you to learn some skills that could save a life, and has direct relation to surfers and incident management and first response.

This offer will be available right through until the Summer School Holiday break in early December.

I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience and hope that this opportunity is of interest to you and your members.

Regards,

Ruben

Ruben Roxburgh
NSW Lifeguard Education Coordinator
NSW Surfing Event Water Safety Coordinator

Australian Lifeguard Service (NSW)
3 Narabang Way | PO Box 307 | Belrose NSW 2085
M 0422 980 586
W www.lifeguards.com.au/NSW
E rroxburgh@australianlifeguards.com.au